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Liverpool Football Club

When a new signing arrives for a club-record fee, expectations naturally rise.

Fans want to see immediate impact.

Coaches hope the player fits in without delay.

For the player, there’s the challenge of proving that the price tag was justified.

Liverpool’s summer brought in one of Europe’s most talked-about young talents.

The 22-year-old arrived from a team that had just enjoyed a season to remember.

He came with a reputation for scoring and creating goals, and for handling big moments with calmness.

Supporters were excited, but they knew the Premier League is a step up in intensity.

Now, before even kicking a ball in England, he has added another honour to his growing list.

And this one shows exactly why Liverpool moved so decisively to get him.

Florian Wirtz has been named Germany’s Player of the Year after securing 191 votes from German sports journalists.

He finished well ahead of Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise, who had 81 votes.

The award is another reminder of why Liverpool spent a club-record £100 million, a deal that could rise to £116 million.

Wirtz joined from Bayer Leverkusen in June after helping them win their first-ever Bundesliga title and the German Cup without losing a single domestic game in 2023/24.

He was also named Bundesliga Player of the Year.

His only setback was a defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League final, denying Leverkusen a treble.

Over 197 appearances for Leverkusen, Wirtz scored 57 goals and provided 65 assists.

That combination of creativity and finishing is what Liverpool are counting on to ease the load on Mohamed Salah, now 33.

Speaking after his move, Wirtz told Liverpool’s website: “I would like to win everything every year.

In the end, we want to be successful.”

“Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League?

I’m really ambitious.”

Former Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso, now at Real Madrid, described him as “world class.”

For Liverpool, his latest award is an early sign that they may have signed exactly that.

Read more: Players make feelings clear following Darwin Nunez Liverpool exit

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